Most of the photographs were taken by John Romkey at (Royal Canadian Air Force) RCAF Station Dartmouth; later renamed (Canadian Forces Base) CFB Shearwater.

AVRO ANSON

manufacturer: Avro, Avro Canada, Federal Aircraft (Canada)

power plant: Two 350-h.p. Armstrong Siddeley "Cheetah LX" engines.

crew/passengers: General reconnaissance aircraft with a crew of three; or, a navigational trainer carrying a pilot, two student navigators and a wireless operator or, an advanced pilot trainer.

armament: None but provisions for bomb and gunnery training in turret equipped with machine gun and using practice bombs in underwing bomb bays

max speed: 188 mph at 7,000

cruise speed:158 mph

range: 790 miles

service ceiling: 19,000 ft.

weight empty: 5,375 lbs.

weight gross: 8,000 lbs.

wingspan: 56 ft. 6 in.

length: 42 ft. 3 in.

height: 13 ft. 1 in.

PBY-5A CATALINA

manufacturer: Consolidated Aircraft Corporation

type: Patrol bomber

crew: 7 to 9

length: 63 ft. 10 in.

height: 18 ft. 6 in.

wingspan: 104 ft.

wing area: 1,400 sq. ft.

weight empty: 17,526 lb.

weight gross: 34,000 lb.

max speed: 189 mph at 7,000 ft.

ceiling: 18,100 ft.

range: 2,990 miles

armament: Two .30-in. and two .50-in. flexible-mounted machine guns and provisions for four 1,000 lb. bombs

TCA (Trans Canada Air Lines) was created by the Crown Corporation Canadian National Railways (CNR), and launched its first flight on September 1, 1937, on a flight between Vancouver and Seattle. With war looming, the CNR proved an effective vehicle for the government to create a national airline. During 1943-1947 TCA operated the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) to provide trans-Atlantic military passenger and postal delivery service; the average crossing taking 13:25 hours.

THE DOUGLAS DC 3

First flight was on December 17, 1935

twin-engine airliner designed by Douglas Aircraft Company Incorporated and produced from 1936 to 1954

Usually seated 21 passengers and two crew but could carry up to 32 passengers

Developed in 1935 as a derivative of the DC-2 and could carry 14 (for overnight flights)

Became one of the most successful airliners of all time, revolutionizing air transport for decades

Served with airline companies and military forces around the world

16,000 DC-3s were manufactured primarily as military transport

More than 500 are still listed in the U.S. and Canadian civil aircraft register